last exam before final..........Check!

So I got an 82, so I am slooooooooooowly creeping back up. Someone told me I will need a 79 on the final! Egad, can you feel my stress!!!? I need to study for the final, which is THIS BIG (this is just the notes!) So this will be brief, must hit books...and buy some eggs and bread. bye!

Laaaaaast concept map...CHECK!

So I just finished correcting my LAST concept map, yay!!! Did a homework assignment, and MORE importantly had a great day with my family celebrating hubby's birthday at the Reagan library. We had fun, and it was a beautiful day. We topped it off with chocolate pie and dinner at Marie Callendars in Simi Valley. It was a great day.

got it...finally

Well I have to first say, thank you God I passed. I am though... not thrilled with my grade. I got a 78% on my Neuro exam. I am still below the 75% I need in the class. So, I will continue to sweat. And maybe that's good for me, to keep me honest, and on my toes etc. But I DO NOT LIKE IT.

But hey, I am moving on, and beginning to study Oxygenation and Emergency medicine. And on that note, our teacher had HORRID pics on our power points. Ick. I am soooo NOT an ER nurse. hurl. On the other hand, I have been in the ICU for the last 3 weeks, and I love it. There is even possibly an opening in ICU for preceptoring. Sadly, though I don't think I have a chance for it, since they will only choose one person, and they have to be able to work independently, which I really don't think I can. But I reeeeeeeeeealy like it, and might want to do it later, after I get some practice.

So that's it for now. Thanks for your prayers, they really do help, and I feel them holding me up.

How's your week going???
P.S. Thanks Kirsten, for letting me still that little pic up there, hee hee. (like you had a choice!)

just a little somethin' to make us smile

W..A..I....T..I..N..G..... (and not patiently dang it)

I took the neuro exam Monday and I am still waiting for the grades to be put up! I am going crazy. She took 4 days last time. GRRR. Our CI yesterday said she (the other instructor that wrote the exam) was disappointed that so many got 100% correct on many questions. Yeah, you heard right, she was bloody DISAPPOINTED! She is all about statistics for exam making. I am not sure how i did. Talking to others I think I did alright. We'll see. So, I'll fill you in as soon as I know. Thanks for all prayers and positive thoughts.

20 min of peace

I found a small way to take a mini vacation....

While driving home from school, the hospital, etc...

Turn off the radio, the lecture on tape etc... Open your windows wide, pull your hair in a poney (other wise you'll be blinded by hair whippage), and breeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeathe. Listen to the quiet. I find myself doing this, with gratitudes for God. Now if you're stuck in bumper to bumper traffic, you'd prob have to close the windows, and put the heat or air on. But try not to put the noise on right away.

Just a little way to refresh, give it a try.

I know, I know... where have I been?

studying....studying....studying....Well you get the point. Since that 76, I was a studying maniac or maybe zombie... Anyhoo, the next exam, I got a 62. Yup I wrote it right. Sad eh? I was sooo shocked because I really put in the time. So I'm beyond scared now, and I continue to study, changing some of my previous studying habits to include studying NCLEX questions (in the area of exam). I hope that helps me. If y'all would like to pray for me, I would soooo appreciate it. To say I'm stressed out is putting it too simply.

The good news is that my mom is doing soooo much better, that she is back home. Last I saw her she was smiles and her mind was sooo much clearer. Thank you to those who were praying for me, you all held me together when I felt like I was being torn in 10 different directions. To say I've been a mess is putting it politely! I am looking forward to visiting her tomorrow and to bring her, her belated birthday presents.

My fam is doing just fine thankyouverymuch. Maybe they are living in dust, with unbalanced dinners regularly, but they appear to be surviving just fine.

Okay, I really must go exercise (to lower my stress level and saggy study butt) and get to school. Have a good wk yourself, okay?

Kierstin at the Fair.

When I should've been studying... I made this...

Ketchup...ing

(here's just a little picture of our doggie, Mabel during our vacation in N. CA. It makes me smile.)

So, i got my exam results and i was not real happy with them with a 76%. I know it's better than failing, but I felt like i had put a lot of time into it to be a C. But under the circumstances, ie my mom, I will be satisfied with it... like i have a choice, she bitterly replied. Actually I do have a choice, and I will choose to rejoice, and thank God.

Good news? My mom is off her respirator. The bad news is that she is very "lost". It is difficult enough for an alzheimers person to be moved to different places, but add all these changes, respirator, medications etc, and she's really lost. When I visited on Friday, I could tell she did not recognize me. This is the first time that has happened, and it about killed me. I am still reeling from it. Again, your prayers would be appreciated.

On the up side... Only 8 full wks of school left, whoooooooooooo hooooooooo. I will be in the ER this wk, and i have to say i am danged nervous. With my mind being elsewhere lately, I am hoping I will be able to focus that day. At least I will have Edmund (a class mate) in there with me.

And here is a home made peach pie I made a few wks ago. Which is another photo that makes me smile.

Well I must go back and hit the books somemore for my quiz tomorrow. Thanks for coming by.

i'm still here...eeek

well the first few wks back, have been a total whirlwind. Maybe a tornado... hurricane? Okay maybe i'm dramatizing just for effect.





We have a quiz and/or HW for each class meeting, and a 12.5 hr shift once a wk. Do I sound like i'm whining here? No? Let me try again... whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. All of the study groups from last semester (you know around the last exams and Final) started getting together on the FIRST wk! See? I wasn't the only one feeling danged overwhelmed. And then this last wknd, I must've put in 12 hrs to get my concept map done and emailed in. It ended up taking much more time filling out the bloody assessmt form on the computer instead of by hand. I learned my lessen though, next time I will hand it to her, even though she prefers it being e'd. Luckily, we only have 2 this semester instead of 3, and i did the tougher one first.





I have been on a med/surg floor, with the nicest nurses I have ever been around. It's odd, that they are not annoyed by us being there. Last wk I had 3 pts and it went okay, but I definitely need to step it up tomorrow when I'm supposed to take 4 pts! I have got to figure out how to keep up on the paperwork, AND the pt! Last semester I did it, but i feel darned rusty! That being said, I am much more confident with the IVPB's from last semester. I pushed my first IVP, that was fun. And I flushed some central lines. I absolutely adore my CI. The nurse I worked with last wk is a 32 yr vet, and totally amazing! Maybe I could request her for my preceptorship, because she was so supportive and teaching.





Okay, along with that new stress, my poor mommy started bleeding from her mouth, and her cold turned into pneumonia. We believe the bleeding came from suctioning. She was at one hospital, then moved to a longer term acute hospital. I was NOT, am NOT overly happy about this second hospital. I will not name it here, but she had MRSA, and never ONCE had any of my family suit up before visiting! Anyway, she took a turn for the worse when she began bleeding badly, and her blood pres crashed, so into ICU she went...within the same crappy place. We have all had a VERY difficult time communicating with the nurses because of a language barrier. Two of them kept trying to hang up with me, and telling me to come down because "they already told my brother". I talked to my brother, and he was just scared *#%#less, because they couldn't tell him anything other than "it's bad". So, I wouldn't hang up, so she(I figured out later, she couldn't because of language problem!) finally got the Dr. on the phone and got filled in. We all were told to come see mom, because it may be the last time. But after I spoke to the Dr. I was not so worried, though things were not great. Got there, spoke to my family who were soooo scared, and relieved a bit of fear for everyone. I have had to really be assertive/aggressive about what's going on. She has since then been sedated and intubated, but I saw her yesterday and she seems to be doing a bit better. Gee it just occurs to me that I might have gone into too much detail, sorry. I am still working through all this, I am definitely feeling a mess, and just on the edge of a bad depression. All prayers are appreciated, really.





So.. that has been my first 3 wks back to school. Eight full wks left. They cram all the work of 16 wks into 12, so we are on hyper-speed. Had first exam last wk, and 3 quizes so far. Still waiting for exam results. So... here's some bubble wrap for all of us who need a little stress relief!





How are you? Feel me in! God bless you all as you've headed back.

back to my king sized bed...ahhhhhhhhhhhhh UPDATED

Santa Cruz beach, called Capitola Beach. It was sooo pretty. And you can't tell here, but these are pelicans. They would dive bomb into the water to catch fish, and then swallow them whole. You'd see the fish jiggling around in it's throat, and then belly. Poor thing, what a way to go.

While in Santa Cruz, we relaxed, ate clam chowder on the beach, went on a hundred mile bike ride along the beach (a small hyperbole perhaps) and saw a wonderful old lighthouse along with some nice cliffs, sand and sea. We went to a cute little town to shop, and watch some new-age hippies (like the old hippies, but perhaps more educated, and a tad cleaner), and showed Kierstin UCSC, which she now wants to go away to college... though not there. She will of course go to Jr. College first for her Gen. Ed. Hmmmmm, we'll see. Sorry I digressed.


We went to Smithwoods beautiful little campground in Santa Cruz area. We didn't stay here (photo), because, daggummit, we wanted full hookups and cable!


Can you guess? Yup, San Fran. Foggy, but beautiful. This was the only day we got a little blue sky and sun. Dern it.

In San Fran, we stayed at a camp ground that was literally on the cliff. Here's the view from our spot:

While in San Fran we went to: Ghiradelli's, GG Bridge, China Town (my fave), the original chinese cookie factory (they are actually yummy there), the crookedest shortest street (I don't know the name), a bunch of the homes that are the highest view-------so beautiful, these little mansionettes. We again went on another 100 mile bike ride through Golden Gate Park. It is an amazingly large park with museums and tons of stuff to see. We didn't have enough time to hit the museums, which I LOVE, so maybe next time. That being said, the 2 bike rides kept me from gaining poundage from all that lovely creamy clam chowder we were scarfing almost daily. Aaaaaaaaand went i went back to the gym, after the trip, i was actually in better shape then before the trip. Huh, who knew?

Favorite part of vacation for:

Eric- bike rides of course

Heather- China Town

Kierstin- shopping and goofing off w/Bryce

Bryce- China Town and time with his sister

When we were almost home, Eric got a little choked up, thinking that this may be one of the last vacations with everyone before college hits in a few years. Kierstin said that vacations remind you to slow down, and have fun with your own family, and how important Bryce was to her (she had forgotten how much fun she could have with her lil' brother), and Bryce said he had missed his sister, and hopes she spends some time with him at home sometimes. Dang, i was choking up too, my kids are just so wonderful, (you know, when they're not horid) and i love them so much, and they are growing up toooooo danged fast. Ah well, story of everyones life eh? Okay, i'm gonna stop all this sappy stuff right now!

I head back to school Monday, and the kids on Thursday, and Eric the following wk. so back to the salt mines we go. But this is a good reminder for all of us to remember what truly counts: a good bowl of clam chowder.......... um, I mean, time with your family.

old friends

it was lovely a week or so ago getting together with some friends from where I began nursing school. Though I don't miss that school I sure miss some great friends. Here I am with Mihai and Andrea. They are officially RN's! Wow, that is so cool. Mihai even showed me his "RN" card. I didn't know there was such a thing. Now they are on the job hunt. Andrea wants to be an operating room nurse, and Mihai probably infusions. I am sooo totally proud of them. it was a tough road.

Eric and the kids went up to visit his Aunt who lives near the Grand Canyon. They had fun doing the following: Visiting the Grand Canyon, driving down a 20 mile dirt road to the bottom (I'm kinda glad i missed that one!), vising a ghost town with burros who wander through, having 115 degree weather, visiting with Aunt Dotty who shared the secret of being a Dane (I'm not one, so Eric can't tell me), and family history about Eric's mom who passed away when he was 7. They also went into the Grand Canyon caverns. I think that was the kids favorite thing.

I stayed home and relaxed, read, went out for a nice meal, scrapbooked, and studied. It was heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaven having 3 days to myself. I loved every minute!

Shruti and I got together to study this wk for 3 hours. We went over further cardiovascular study. This has been a weakness for both of us, so it was totally helpful.

We are now getting ready for our San Fran trip. What are you all up to?

the end of July...egad

I can't beleeeeeeeeeeeeive it's the end of July already! aka denial.

Two wks ago we were busy at the Fair. It was sooo fun and busy with Kierstin showing her pig, Monty. Just in case some of you didn't go see him, here he is:

She had two competitions; the pig himself, and Kierstin's showmanship. The pig himself didn't do so well, she was the first one to be knocked out. (Monty did NOT want to move, he just wanted to dig for truffles!) But, in the second competition, Kierstin did great. She came in 12 out of over 110 pigs! We were very proud of her of course.

Even better than that, was her pig at auction. The morning before her auction, she sat in her pigs pen hoping to meet some prospective buyers. Two ladies came by, and asked just a few questions of Monty. Her friends decided to not hang around, but to hang out elsewhere. During auction, none of the pigs from Sunny got more than $1.00-1.50 per lb. But these 2 lovely ladies bid back and forth until she got $2.50 per lb! Her pig was the highest big next to the grand champions. So she was ALL smiles.


She won't see her profits until September, but she's darned happy anyway just 'thinking' about what she might purchase... (after she pays back mom and dad for another GIGANTIC cell phone bill).

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This last wk was VBS at our church. It is always a very busy wk, but very fun. I was a Co-coordinator for Pre-school. I love what I do, because it's very busy, fast moving, and I get to run hither and yon. I like that. I'm like pudding, if you don't keep stirring me (me moving) I congeal and turn hard (like my cellulite).

Kierstin worked with the kindergartners again, and she loved them, telling me about Mr. Enthusiast, and Mr. Problem-child. She took a special liking to these two.

Eric and Bryce worked as first grade counselors. It was sooo cute to see Eric with little ones, speaking gently etc. He really loved the younguns, and wants to do them again next year.

Bryce loved it too because he got to know the kids more.... except one little girl who was hanging on him constantly and wanted his phone #. SOOOOO cute.


Soooooo that's what I've been up to since the last post. I've also squeezed in a 'little bit' of studying. I will meet with my study pal Shruti on Wednesday, so i promise i'll put in some more time before then.

Have a good week everyone, and leave a comment!

what can i say...

There's just not as much to write about during the summer. I mean, do you REALLY want to hear me tell you about me sitting on my butt reading?

This is a pic of Monty. He will be attending the county fair all wk. My daughter will be competing on Thur and Fri for FFA, with darling Monty. He's 265 lbs of fun right now, and we think he is going to show very well. He is soon to be sausage, ham, pork chops etc. If you are from PETA, please leave.


Yesterday we went to the beach where i proceeded to sit on my fanny reading.
Here's Eric and Bryce setting up.

What else? Hmmmmmmmmm we saw Ironman (i liked that), and hellboy (love that red man). Rented Waitress which I loved. Have met a couple times with study partner. It is totally helpful to have someone holding you accountable to read booooooooring IV stuff. We went on a small campout up in big bear which was nice to get together with some friends.

For one crazy wk, ran my daughter around getting ready for her big 16th bday bash (Alice in Wonderland). Here's her cake I made: The cake and decorations came out sooo cute, if i dooooo say so myself! This is our backyard with giant homemade flowers, and hundreds of Christmas lights everywhere. The kids had fun, especially with the kiddie jumper in the front yard. We left all teenagers fully pumped up with sugar when their parents picked them up.

I am doing a lot of scrapbooking. Now I need to catch up on my journaling, which i generally can't stand. I have 3 boxes full of scrapbooked pics to journal. I have to journal dang it, if I'm ever going to get them in a book!

so what are YOU up to???

Ummm i think that's about it. I am loving the relaxation.

already then...

so i think that all my pics disapeared because i've been stealing... um i mean BORROWING images from google that MAY be copyrighted. Geez, what's the big deal hah? So now where do i get pics from without the blogger nazi's shutting my pics down???! For today i'll put one of mine up. my kids playing in the pool.

ooooooh it makes me sooooo mad!

yeah... did you notice???

YUP, ALL MY BLOODY PICTURES DISAPEARED AGAIN!! GRRR!!! This is the second time this happened! I have written blogger with questions...and??? Nothing.

Thanks for letting me vent.......urgh.

summer fun

I love shaking it up, that's all.

What have i been up to?

1. Well a lot of sleeping in 'till 8! Whooo Hoooo.
2. Reading some romances
3. Cleaning some house. Not too much mind you, I don't want to have an aneurysm for pity sakes!
4. Getting ready for K. sweet 16 birthday party. She chose her theme as Alice in Wonderland. Kind of a psychedelic version. It's actually very cool, and I'll post pics later. Actually it's her sweet 16.5, since she decided to have her party this summer instead of in January. Her and I share a birthday, and i think she loves that this will be just HER day. I can't blame her, I do suck all the attention from the room, and she just disappears. Okay, i hope you know i am being big time sarcastic.
5. Trying to reorganize my study/craft room.

My study group met this wk. Okay, not so much a group as a study pair. Me and one other devoted student. Still, it was totally worth it, and I am feeling more knowledgeable by the minute. Come on renal failure!


Gotta run to Costco, have a lovely day.

Summertime summertime, sum, sum summertime....

Yup, it summmmmmmmmmmmertime. I have truly been enjoying sleeping in everyday, and then taking a nap later, playing on the 'puter, hitting the gym, actually making a few dinners (gasp!), reading some romances, cleaning the house (double gasp!), buying some stuff I don't need!,
and then, trying to learn how to use the dern thing, and just plain relaxing. Of course I have a hard time doing a lot of nothing, so of course just like me, I have begun to make my summer goals. And here they are:
1. Lose 20 lbs (or try NOT to gain back the 15 i done lost)
2. Start a NCLEX study gp (already in the works)
3. Kill the blasted dustbunnies that have been mounting up a serious offense. (and their friends the hairy dustbunnies hiding against all the walls)
4. Make student nurse resume.
5. Do lots and lots of scrapbooking to try to catch up a little.... haha, i'm about 2.5 yrs behind right now.

Okay, so those are my major goals, I probably left out some i'll think of later. Outside of those goals i'll be lazing. Yup, lazing. What are you up to?

I MADE IT!!! WHOOO HOOOOOOO!!!!

Okay, that was just a little too close for comfort, but I did it, I know only with Gods help! Since that 50% I got back a couple exams ago, I have been killing myself with studying. This morning at 0530, I drove through to get protein and caffeine (went for the coke, FULL sugar), and then drove through AGAIN before I got to school, to get a starbucks! I wanted to make sure my caffeine needs were fully met! So, I loved this photo of an actual nursing students desk at school. No, it wasn't mine, but I wanted to show a visual. I have been living at school, kinda forgetting husband and kids names. But no worries, I see them now, and it's coming back to me!

The Final today was a real killer. But since I did very well on exam 5, I just needed a 66 to pass the class. And a B wasn't even an option. But you know what, at this point, I just did not want to get that phone call. You know, the one that says sorry... but.....

Well I didn't get it, and I'm on to my LAST semester! WHAAAAA HOOOOO!!! I am totally elated, and totally exhausted!



Todays celebratory plans included champagne and cranberry juice this morning, a pulled pork sandwich tonite, and frozen yogurt, with our very own home grown blackberries. So I am feeling pretty darned relaxed. I even slipped a nap in, ahhhhhh what bliss.



So.. this is me now, I'm cooking! Okay not literally, but I'll start. I just loved this photo. This is really how I look most of the time. Stop. I do. Stop the giggling.